Chapter 17: Anchoring Yourself to Success

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” —Theodore Roosevelt

Consciously or not, some situations, sounds, and things put us in good or bad states (for example, a song that we associate with a specific experience). We can change our internal reaction to these triggers and consciously create new results.

We can create anchors for ourselves and others like Pavlov produced the dogs’ reactions to the bell. The first step to generate an anchor is putting a person into the specific state we wish to anchor. The second is to give a specific and unique stimulus at the peak of that state, such as pressure on the shoulder in the same spot each time. Then we must repeat the process several times.

Anchors play a significant role in business marketing and advertising. We are put into a positive state and then the product is placed.

It is very important to be aware of anchors because they can be positive or negative. Some are responsible for additions or the states and behaviors that we would like to avoid. The good news is that we have the ability to eliminate or replace them.